Home > Great American Court Cases > People v. White

Legal Citation: 117 Cal.App.2d 270 (1981)

Plaintiff
State of California

Defendant
Daniel James White

Plaintiff's Claim
That the murders committed by White were premeditated.

Chief Lawyer for Plaintiff
Thomas F. Norman

Chief Lawyers for Defendant
Douglas Schmidt, Stephen Scherr

Judge
Walter F. Calcagno

Place
San Francisco, California

Date of Decision
21 May 1979

Decision
Guilty of voluntary manslaughter; sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison.

Significance
Celebrity murder trials inevitably attract massive media coverage. What made the Dan White case unique was the volatile mix of politics, revenge, and homosexual intolerance. Many wondered if that intolerance spilled over into the jury room.

On 27 November 1978, 32-year-old Dan White...